Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-05-05
MAKE YOUR THREAD FIRM.

The Importance of Doing Nothing BY
Halves--Have No Flaw in Your Work
why . Captain Was Poisoned.
If we could only learn early in life
that every thing we do is OF impor.
lance! that there are really no tribes!
If we woahd only learn that every
thing we do results in something that
is either good or ill! that to slight our
work is to bring disaster or loss or dis
grace! In book, recently published, is
the following story told by the mother
Of two young girls, the story OF whose
struggles will help many girls and
boys into truer life. The mother
tells the story in the twilight. after
each girl has given an account of her
days experience:
Ny fathers last voyage was an unusually
long one. but at last we could watch for his re-
turn. Only my mother and L this time, LOT
Richard was with him; so we had double rea-
son to look for the ship. can remember how
excited was for my father was very COCA 10
me, and always kept one corner of his big sea-
chest for me.
The boys in Salem used to watch on the
wharf whenever ship was expected, and the
minute it came in sight would run to the houses
of those on board with the news. TT were
sailors wife, she gave him quarter; II o
mates, half; but from the captains wife
whole dollar was expected. One morning-we
were at breakfasts boy came running in, to
tell US that the brig 'Cypher" was In sight He
seemed to be in great hurry, but that we d1d
not think of till afterward.
MY mother and took an old glass of fathers
and went up to the attic, where we had q good
view of the harbor Mother held the glass
long while, and grew suddenly pale. Then she
said, short and quick: 'Take the glass. Your
eyes are younger than mine. Do you see the
fagf, So I looked, and did see 1t. "Oh,
mother" cried, ''it's at half-mastr' For we
were sailors wife and daughter, and we knew
what it meant. 1t said-that the captain was
dead.
It was so. Bye-and-bye we learn all about it.
Partly from the mate; partly, but not till long
afterward and by degrees, from Richard. IL
was on the return voyage. He was poisoned.
They were trading for ivory on the African
coast. He had gone ashore with Richard, to
settle matters with the native chief, who was
very friendly, and offered them as farewell
banquet some rice ana a drink Of cocoanut
milk. The poison was in one OF them. Richard
did not like the native style Of cooking, and,
boy-like, would not eat They set sail, but were
only few hours of when my father was taken
sick and died. Afterward it was discovered that
the captain OF the last ship that had traded
there had cheated them. believe there were
no holes in the colored beads that traders used
to bargain for ivory and gold dust, and, to the
natives, all white men were alike.
They buried him there at sea. Richard tried
to fling himself in, too, and 1t was only by main
force that the sailors prevented him. He was
only just through school, but he had begged SO
hard to go on the voyage that father yielded.
For generations the men OF our family had oeeu
sea-captains; but my brother never set foot on
a ship again.
haven't told you very cheerful story, Kitty.
I'm afraid it hasn't improved matters much,
and mine hasn't such an excellent moral as had
yours and Marion'a
IT can pick one out" said Marion, thought
fully. .If some manufacturer had not neglect
ed to punch holes in those beads, your father
wouldn't have been murdered, nor your mother
have died. nor you have been poor and had to
earn your own living. Oh, mother, do you sup
pose every single glass bead in the world makes
difference?"
81 think that every thread forms part. And
apt to strike against the weak spot In the warp
We can not see or know what is being woven.
But this we do know-that it concerns us to
make our own thread firm and strong. and just
as fine as ever it may be-"
Recently there was a terrible rail-
road accident on one of the Massachu-
sets roads. The cause of the accident
is supposed to be due to flaw in one
of the trusses of the bridge; imperfec-
ton in the truss when put into the
bridge, or break that has
been overlooked by the inspectors
of the road. The result is the death of
twenty-seven persons outright, and
many severely injured. Somebody
did not make their thread firm and
strong. Christian Union